#kitbug writes things

[kittlesandbugs]

FHR Prompt: Phone games Characters: Sidestep, Hollow Ground, Ortega Contains: Canon typical people meddling in Sidestep's life Word Count: ~650 Summary: Text prompt from @camillathe6th "[ TXT ] : what are you doing that's more important than me?"

“Hey, you wanna come over tonight?”

Ortega… of course. You grimace as you stare at the screen, already away from home for the evening. He doesn’t know where you are, right? No, he couldn’t. He was supposed to be working today. He probably just got home. Sipping your rum and coke, you ponder a response, debating just how much information you can safely give him to shut down the digging when you decline. You can't just say no and leave it at that. He'll be baiting you until he’s satisfied, and that could take all night.

“I can't, already got plans.”

You flip the phone shut with a satisfying snap. Should you put it back on your belt or just leave it on the table? You know Ortega isn't done with you yet. 

“Is that… what even is that phone?”

Glancing up, you see Hollow Ground staring at your ancient flip phone with something akin to distaste and morbid curiosity. You massage your temples and sigh. Bad enough having Ortega judge your lifestyle, now her too? If you told him how similar she is to him, it might give him an aneurysm. 

“A safe one," you grunt as the phone vibrates again in your hand, and you flip it open, staring at the dim screen. “No GPS or any of that other tracking shit." 

“What are you doing that's more important than me? □□”

Your phone is too old to pick up emoticons, but you can guess what's supposed to be there. You can’t say Argent, because she won’t lie for you about things like this. She might even already be with him. A terrible fleeting thought of throwing back “your mother's butt” crosses your mind. You quash that and silently apologize to Tía Elena, considering other options.

“It's so… “ Hollow Ground looks like she's chewing on glass as she mulls it over, trying not to offend you too badly, “... antique.”

“Mhmmm," you hum, pecking out your response. 

“You know, I can get you a better safe phone," she offers, because of course she does. You see her wrinkling her nose out of the corner of your eye as you tap out a response on the number pad. “I have a supplier.”

Despite your fervent attempts to compartmentalize her place in your life, she continues to try breaking out of it to “make things better” for you. Just like Ortega used to back in the day. Still does, really. Maybe you should give her an aneurysm too. 

“You were just too slow on the draw, old man. You're not the only person I socialize with.”

“I like this phone,” you finally answer her. Argent's already made you the same offer, and you turned her down too. You'd be screwed if either of them changes their mind about you. “It does phone things. I get the emergency alerts. I don't need a better phone.”

“As you like," she sighs, but you see her lips twitch with a smile like you've done something expected. Thankfully, your phone buzzes again, and you can look away. 

“Tomorrow, then?”

Oh, good, he takes hints today. “Yeah. Let me know when you escape work.”

“You got it. Tell your friend I say hi! □”

You snap the phone shut with finality this time and clip it back to your belt. “Charge says hi!” you say brightly, just as she sips her drink. 

She chokes on her vodka, glaring at you as she coughs it out. You give her an innocent smile as you sip your own drink. 

“You really are playing a dangerous game there," she mutters once recovered, wiping her mouth with one of her fancy cloth napkins.

“We’re not here to discuss my sex life," you say with a shrug, because you know, but you aren't here for that. Time to get down to business.  She can worry about your outdated phone later and questionable affairs later. “What can you tell me about the LD chief of police?”

[kitbug]

FHR Fanfic Masterpost

Here is the ridiculously large collection of one shots I’ve written, most featuring my very gnc female Sidestep, Riley Owens.

Pairings are Chargestep, Argentstep, and Chargentstep.  Please mind the warnings for each one.  Stories below are listed in chronological-ish order for Riley’s timeline. 

Total as of 5/13/23, 76 fics, ~60k words

PRE-SIDESTEP DAYS

Approval Rating: T for violence, weird self-dehumanization. ~300 words Pairing: None Summary: Prompt: write a short snippet featuring your Sidestep doing (or discovering!) something that makes them happy at the farm, before they escaped for the first time. Sidestep fights for the approval of her handler. (3/6/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

THE SIDESTEP DAYS

Guilt Rating: G, no warnings.  ~300 words. Pairing: Pre-Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Summary: Prompt: How would they react to injury/misfortune befalling their partner? Do they feel at fault? Sidestep apologizes to Ortega for failing to protect him in a fight. (1/25/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Too Close Rating: T for gratuitous swearing and blood/medical stuff. ~3.6k words Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Summary: Sidestep barely survived the fight with Psychopathor and now she needs to deal with her wounds.Oh, and the fact that Ortega kissed her.  Fuck. (07/26/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Unaired Interview Rating: G for everyone. ~300 words Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Summary: Prompt: Sidestep gets interviewed (Except not LOL) (06/16/21) (Read on AO3)

Carry You Home Rating: T for drinking I guess lol.  ~300 words. Pairing: Pre-Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Summary: Prompt:  '“I’m not carrying you”(and then yes they did carry them)’ Riley goes out drinking with Ortega. (08/16/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Unwanted Ambulance Ride Pairing: There’s is only fear and anger here lol (but technically Chargestep) Rating: G/T? ~150 words Summary: Prompt: Scare Sidestep Shitless in ten sentences or less (06/05/21) (Read on AO3)

Nickname Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for blood/injury. ~400 words Summary: Prompt: Use the words trembling, blue, seconds. Sidestep takes care of Ortega after the Catastrofiend guts him. (05/30/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Frustrated kisses Pairing:  Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G, no warnings.  ~300 words Summary: Prompt: Random number selection from kiss prompt list, 400 words/30 minute timer.  “Frustrated kisses” Sidestep pulls a too-dangerous stunt and Ortega isn’t impressed. (2/14/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Sweet Tooth Pairing:  Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G for fluffy times. ~350 words Summary: Prompt: Write a little something inspired by your Sidestep's primary vice . Ortega has a surprise for Sidestep for her “birthday”. (12/11/2021) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Stopping the Surge Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for blood, canonical minor character death. ~1.6k words Summary: Prompt: holding onto the other’s shoulders for support Ortega thought he and everyone else on that beach was a goner. That the city was next.  No way to defend against the Nanovores.  And then they just stopped. (Ricardo POV) (10/11/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Rideaway Relief Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for blood and swearing. ~2k words Summary: Sidestep needs to get out of the city after the Nanosurge has left her mental shields completely wrecked and ask Ortega for help.  Ortega takes the opportunity to scold her for being stubborn and reckless with her health (again.) (05/30/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Messy Stakeout Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G for goofballs. ~400 words Summary: Prompt: “putting a hand over the other’s mouth to shut them up” for Ric and Riley! A stakeout goes sideways when Sidestep tries to get Ortega to shut up. (12/30/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Dance with me Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G for everyone. ~1.1k words Summary: Prompt: Dancing with each other. Sidestep is over at Ortega's apartment for dinner and he talks her into dancing with him.  It doesn't take much to convince her. (06/25/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

No interruptions Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G for everyone. ~500 words Summary: Prompt: Pre-HB years. You just jammed the door of the HQ office supply closet with a screwdriver because you need to be alone with Ortega far from the cameras and augh, far from Steel’s shifty eyes. The door clicks locked. Ortega turns to you. Write / draw the scene that follows from your Sidestep’s POV. (05/10/23) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Exaggerating for kisses Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for alcohol. ~500 words Summary: Prompt: “I’ve had a terrible day at work so just kiss me” Ricardo maybe exaggerates about how bad his day was for smooches. (08/21/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Electric Touch Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for alcohol. ~400 words Summary: Prompt: something short (<400 words) and horny (it’s about the anticipation). Challenge: no use of hands, mouth, blush. Sidestep and Ricardo get a little handsy after drinking. (07/13/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Skin deep Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for blood, self-hatred.  ~1.4k words Summary: Sidestep hangs out with Steel and Ortega as they talk about old missions, and Ortega says something she wishes she could un-hear. (12/16/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Seeing ghosts Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for unreality, blood.  ~300 words Summary: During a debrief in the hospital, Ortega looks to Sidestep for answers. (07/22/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Words not spoken Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T, heavy grief. ~2.2k words Summary: He always wanted to see her apartment.  But not like this.  Not without her in it. (Ricardo POV) (08/24/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

It woke up Pairing: nope everything is broken now lol Rating: T I guess but TW medical horror/suicide ideation. ~400 words Summary: Prompt fill using  rain, still, edge or, humid, slow, grasp. Sidestep wakes up at the Farm after the Heartbreak Incident. (06/13/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Debrief Pairing: Past Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T, nonconsentual manhandling, dehumanization. ~900 words Summary: Prompt : 13. “That’s not how it happened.”, E. Memory, IV. Make it an interview scene Interview tape of a Sidestep debrief/interrogation at the Farm (07/06/2022) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Time doesn’t heal Pairing: Past Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T, suicide ideation, mourning, canon-typical angst, ~1.8k words Summary: Four people reminisce about the fallen vigilante Sidestep on the third anniversary of the Heartbreak Incident.  One person knows she isn’t dead. (02/25/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

THE DAYS OF RECKONING

The return Pairing: Past Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T  for violence, telepathic shenanigans, embracing villainy. ~2500 words Summary: Something wicked returns to Los Diablos.  (Steel POV) (03/08/23) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Same old ice cream Pairing: None Rating: T for general Steppy self-loathing I guess lol. ~500 words Summary: Prompt: Your step revisiting a place they used to go a lot back in the day, is it still there, how has it changed? A week before being found in the diner, Sidestep revisits some old memories. (06/18/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Alive and here Pairing: Old flame Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G/T? Retribution spoilers. ~700 words Summary: Prompt: Descriptions of your sidestep + Optional challenge of not using colours and sizes Ortega finds out that the specter of his past may not actually be a ghost. (06/06/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Just training Pairing:Past Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G, no warnings. ~1k words Summary: Prompt fill: POV switch: rewrite / riff on a canon scene from Rebirth or Retribution, but from the perspective of another character present rather than through Sidestep’s eyes. A re-write of the scene in Rebirth where Ortega first meets the puppet, from his perspective.  (07/21/21, pub 03/25/23) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Day in the Life Pairing: None Rating: G/T, no warnings. ~600 words Summary: Prompt fill: A day in the life of your Step, past/present or future, you choose. Optional twist: The POV can't be Sidestep. (06/20/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Water Plant Security Recording Pairing: hints of future Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/Lady Argent Rating: G, wholesome Rat Kingness. ~300 words Summary: Prompt: A recording of Sidestep without them knowing it. Domestic Villain armor maintenance and gossip with a rat pentacle. (07/11/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

No fly zone Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G/T, no warnings. ~700 words Summary: Herald has a chat with Ortega after kidnapping Sidestep to a roof and getting himself punched. (07/17/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Strawberry Kisses Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for swearing and alcohol. ~500 words Summary: Even after seven years, he still keeps Sidestep’s favorite soda on hand.  She doesn't want to explore the implications of why.  She can't not, though. (05/15/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Breathe dammit Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for near death experiences Summary: Prompt: write the car crash or the hospital waiting from the point of view of Ortega, or, alternatively, any of the main cast dealing with your Sidestep being injured. (07/21/21, pub. 02/06/23) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Scrubbing old wounds Pairing: Mostly Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for PSTD, medical trauma, canon-typical angst. ~1.7k words Summary: At some point after the wreck and moving into Ortega’s apartment to heal, Sidestep has to tackle how to get clean.  It dredges up a lot of old memories and fears. (04/21/23) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Old and new Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G, no warnings. ~300 words Summary: Prompt: forehead against forehead, I missed you kisses (08/06/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Taking it back Pairing: Lady Argent/Sidestep Rating: T for PSTD, past trauma, dehumanization. ~2.3k words Summary: Sidestep lets Lady Argent give her a haircut.  Something more like the old days. (08/21/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Sleep is for the weak Pairing: Lady Argent/Sidestep Rating: T for self-harm/suicide ideation, Retribution spoilers. ~300 words Summary: Prompt: “You can put your strength down.  I”m sitting here with you at your kitchen table.  You don’t need to say anything.” Argent thinks Sidestep needs to sleep more.  She's right. (08/13/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Nighttime Scars Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T, suicide/self-harm discussion. ~1.1k words Summary: Prompt: foreheads touching Sidestep finally spends the night with Ortega and he wakes her with a nightmare.  He wants to talk about it, of course. (07/10/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Soft kisses Pairing: Lady Argent/Sidestep Rating: G for everyone. ~400 words Summary: Prompt: "Your lips are really soft" Sidestep and Argent snuggle and talk about Argent’s peculiarities. (09/13/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Coffee Crimes Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G for saccharine fluff.  ~300 words Summary: Prompt: B Dylan Hollis Prompts, 24 Honey, you can’t dilute a war crime- make Ortega say it please Sidestep makes a hot mess in Ortega’s kitchen with fancy coffee drinks. (12/14/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

First time for everything Pairing: Lady Argent/Sidestep Rating: G for baking fluff lol. ~1k words Summary: Prompt: kitchen counter make-outs Argent teaches Sidestep how to bake, starting with a classic: chocolate chip cookies. (09/28/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Different Origins, Same Heartbeats Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/Lady Argent Rating: G for absolutely saccharine fluff. ~1.3k words Summary: Prompt: Listening to the other's heartbeat After Sidestep makes an off-color joke about her lack of humanity, Argent decides to prove otherwise to her.  Ortega helps and hinders. (06/28/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Keeping up appearances Pairing: Lady Argent/Sidestep Rating: T I guess, just play violence. ~900 words Summary: Prompt: kisses that start of passionate but grows more delicate A fight with Argent turns amorous after Sidestep tries to retreat with herr stolen data. (09/14/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Outside, looking in Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/Lady Argent Rating: T, canon typical angst/self loathing. ~800 words Summary: Prompt: write a snippet centered on your Sidestep’s HB scar—the feelings it triggers, its effects, a moment that worsens it or that soothes it, anything you like as long as their scar is the focus Sidestep gets lost in introspection where she used to be comforted.  Ricardo and Argent sooth her. (2/19/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Never tell Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G, slightly angsty fluff. ~350 words Summary: Prompt: "Were you ever going to tell me?" Ortega asks Sidestep about their tattoos. (3/19/23) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Dog’s eye view Pairing: Chen & Spoon & Sidestep Rating: G for dog time Summary: Prompt: Write a piece about your step from the perspective of Spoon Spoon and Chen meet Sidestep at the dog park. (3/19/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Sleepy kisses Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/Lady Argent Rating: G for saccharine fluff. ~300 words Summary: Prompt: soft kisses while cuddling in bed (08/07/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Naming conventions Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/Lady Argent Rating: G for saccharine fluff, lil canon typical Steppy depression. ~500 words Summary: Argent wants to know why Sidestep chose what she did for her name. (11/11/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Stale memories Pairing: Sidestep & Chen Rating: T for alcohol, hangovers.  ~600 words Summary: Prompt: Speech prompts, “You’re warm.” Sidestep celebrates an anniversary and goes a little overboard.  Chen kept her from getting into trouble. (06/25/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Trapped Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/(hinted) Lady Argent Rating: T for panic attack, PTSD.  ~1k words Summary: Prompt: pairing of your choice gets stuck in an elevator together for hours. The power goes out when Sidestep and Ortega are on an elevator.  Sidestep doesn’t handle it well. (4/7/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Short and Sweet (Ortega) Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G for fluff. ~200 words Summary: Prompt: Write a short, affectionate interaction between your Sidestep and someone they like.   Challenge: 30 min/10 sentences Ortega and Sidestep talk about some of Sidestep’s scars. (11/20/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Short and Sweet (Argent) Pairing: Lady Argent/Sidestep Rating: G for fluff. ~200 words Summary: Prompt: Write a short, affectionate interaction between your Sidestep and someone they like.   Challenge: 30 min/10 sentences Sidestep and Argent have some fun baking cupcakes. (11/20/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Short and Sweet (Chen) Pairing: Chen & Sidestep Rating: G for fluff. ~150 words Summary: Prompt: Write a short, affectionate interaction between your Sidestep and someone they like.   Challenge: 30 min/10 sentences Chen and Sidestep have a little talk at the dog park. (1/31/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Dragged down, pulled up Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for nightmare imagery/dissociation/self-harm, ~1k words Summary: Sidestep dissociates after a nightmare.  Ortega helps her back to herself. (12/28/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Nightmares (Ortega) Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: TW for death, suicide, blood, violence, general mindfuckery/unreality , ~600 words Summary: Prompt: Write a nightmare… from the perspective of your Sidestep’s RO, that includes Sidestep somehow Ricardo has a rough night. (06/01/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Nightmares (Argent) Pairing: Lady Argent/Sidestep Rating: TW for death, suicide, blood, violence, kinda cannibalism. ~400 words Summary: Prompt: Write a nightmare… from the perspective of your Sidestep’s RO, that includes Sidestep somehow Argent has a rough night. (04/07/22, pub 04/17/23) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Affections Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/Lady Argent Rating: G for extreme fluff. ~600 words Summary: Prompt: Write your Sidestep showing affection to someone. Physical, mental (if receptive lol), gifts, whatever. Sidestep takes care of Ortega with Lady Argent’s help, and then takes care of her too. (1/16/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Angry Pairing: Lady Argent/Sidestep Rating: G for everyone.  ~500 words Summary: Hero/Villain prompts: “I know you.  You’re me.” Sidestep and Argent have a little chat. (05/27/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

No rest for the wicked Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G for everyone.  ~700 words. Ortega POV Summary: Ortega tries to get Sidestep to open up about how tired she looks.  It goes as well as expected. (02/21/23) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Empty graves Pairing: Lady Argent/Sidestep Rating: T for some suicide ideation. ~400 words Summary: Just a little rumination about one of Sidestep’s and Argent’s parallels. (05/27/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Naptime Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G for everyone, fluff. ~700 words Summary: Ortega gets his insomniac girlfriend to get some sleep. (09/18/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Unexpectedly Attached Pairing: Lady Argent/Sidestep Rating: T for injury treatment/blood.  ~350 words Summary: Villain/Hero prompts: ❛ truth is, i didn’t expect to get this attached to you. ❜ for Riley and argent? Sidestep pays a visit to Argent after getting wounded in a fight. (11/22/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Friendly sparring Pairing: Lady Argent/Sidestep Rating: T for suggestiveness lol.  ~2k words Summary: Lady Argent invites Sidestep to HQ late one night to do some sparring.  Things heat up pretty quickly in more ways than one. (12/30/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Movie Magic Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/(minor) Lady Argent Rating: G for fluffy times  ~350 words Summary: Prompt: Write a plot summary or a scene based on the concept of your step and their ro in a Hallmark esque holiday romance movie plot Sidestep and Ortega discuss Hallmark movies. (12/9/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Blood on the floor Pairing: Lady Argent/Sidestep Rating: T for blood, violence  ~650 words Summary: Prompt: Halloween randomized prompt, I took “Argent” and “blood on the floor” Argent answers Riley’s call for help and finds a very gruesome scene at her base.   (10/15/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Dessert for two Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/Lady Argent Rating: EXPLICIT, 18+, references past sexual trauma, Retribution spoilers. ~2.5k words Summary: Dessert is missing from lunch until Sidestep is revealed to be on the menu. (06/15/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

The first scar Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for blood, self-harm, suicide imagery.  ~1.2k words Summary: Sidestep lets Ortega ask her about a very old scar and reveals some details about her first escape from the Farm. (1/23/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Then and now Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/Lady Argent Rating: G for everyone, fluff. ~400 words Summary: Watching Sidestep sleep, Ortega notices some things that don’t change (10/22/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Unnamed Ficlet Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for death talk. ~300 words Summary: A painful hypothetical about if Ortega came for Sidestep at the Farm. (10/13/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Home Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: G for everyone. ~300 words Summary: Ortega finds Sidestep in his kitchen in the middle of the night. (07/02/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Who’s side? Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/Lady Argent Rating: T for some heavier family stuff and what not lol. ~1k words Summary: @sidestepping‘s fic “The Heist” first to put this one into context lol. Riley really only needs rescuing from the machinations of her own web spinning. (12/22/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

FOR FUNSIES (NOT CANON FOR RILEY)

Left behind Pairing: Chen & Sidestep Rating: T for dissociation, PTSD Summary: Prompt: write your Sidestep through a scene / variable / tag you’re excited about but that they do not get in their canon run Rewrite of Chen date after the auction. (05/07/23) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Sidestep Multiverse Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/Lady Argent, Herald/Sidestep Rating: G for everyone. ~600 words Summary: Write a short interaction between your Sidestep… and someone else’s Sidestep! Or between two of yours if you prefer. BONUS CHALLENGE: drop hints about each of their vice or preferred swear word for personality.  (Featuring @gingerbreton ‘s Lila in Rileyverse) Everyone goes out for coffee.   (05/19/22) (Read on Tumblr)

Villain Reveal Hypotheticals

Pulling your punches Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for fighting/violence. ~650 words Summary: Prompt: Hero/Villain starter: "You're pulling your punches." Sidestep accidentally reveals herself with her big dumb mouth. (11/24/21) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Too far gone Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/Lady Argent Rating: T for fighting/violence. ~550 words Summary: Prompt: "Stop! Please, stop! You’re going to kill her!" Sidestep goes too far with her villainy and Ortega tries to take her out. (01/10/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Caught Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep/ (hinted) Lady Argent Rating: T for canon-typical angst. ~600 words Summary: Prompt: 14. “Take this, you look like shit.”, E. Memory, X. Put your character in a situation they can’t get out of easily Sidestep wakes up in Ortega’s care after he beats her and the jig is up. (05/05/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

Caught part 2 Pairing: Ricardo Ortega/Sidestep Rating: T for canon-typical angst. ~600 words Summary: Prompt: 'Look me in the eye and tell me that - I dare you' Ortega demands to know why Sidestep turned to villainy.  Continuation of Caught. (08/08/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

GIFT FIC

Spring thaw Pairing: Daniel Sullivan/Sidestep (Lila Becker) Rating: G for fluffy times, ~600 words Summary: Sidestep reflects on her relationship with Danny in the middle of the night after their date. (for gingerbreton) (01/2/22) (Read on Tumblr) (Read on AO3)

[kittlesandbugs]

FHR: Echoes of the past Pairing: Chargestep & Chargentstep Contains: PSTD, allusions to attempted suicide, minor blood and injury treatment, sap Word Count: ~1500 Summary: Sidestep finds the old energy caster in Ortega's closet.

Brushing wet hair back from your face, you walk into Ortega’s closet to find something dry to wear with yours soaked from the sudden rainstorm on his motorcycle. Most of his clothes are… not to your taste, but you can find a hoodie or something. As you look around, you spy a very familiar case nestled in tight with several other boxes on the shelf above. Your spine itches in recognition, a familiar vertigo making your brain twist in your skull. Why does he have that? Did he keep it all this time? Even after you tried to… 

You need to learn when to leave well enough alone. Your hands are moving before you realize you're standing on your toes, gently wiggling it free from behind another box and plucking it from its perch. A little dusty, but the teal and gray striping is plain to see. No doubt it's yours. No one else in his life has sported that pattern in those colors. Not that you're aware of, anyway. 

You flip the latches open like you aren't almost a decade out of practice. Dust motes dance in the air as you lift the lid to reveal your old energy caster. It's a familiar weight in your hand as you stand and raise it to the light for a better look. The lacquer is cracked and peeling, maybe damage from when— 

"Riley!" 

Glass shatters in the doorway, and the gun falls from your slack fingers. 

(Read the rest on AO3)

[kittlesandbugs]

FHR: Sound the alarm, let it begin Characters: Sidestep, random Farm personnel, Regina Contains: Psychological horror, murder, suicide, implied assault and sexual assault, mind manipulation, possession, dehumanization, multiple POVs Word Count: ~3300 Summary: Sidestep escapes from the Farm a second time.

Jonas stares hard at the screen, his mouth a thin angled line. Derrick gives him a companionable nudge on the shoulder after the quiet goes on for too long, making Jonas glare at him. It's a bit unnerving, and it's been a strange and more frequent occurrence in the last six months. 

Why is he so interested in that Re-Gene? It's dead asleep on its little mat. It's almost always asleep on their shift, especially after someone pays it a visit or brings it back from an experiment. Frequently sick too, but they haven’t been able to figure out why. It lies there, still as a corpse, skeletal thinness and brilliant orange tattoos on full display like a dart frog's warning. It hasn't been allowed even a medical shift in its cell after it tore the last one into strips and braided a rope. 

He still isn't sure if it intended the rope for one of them or itself. 

Read the rest here on AO3

[kittlesandbugs]

FHR: Willful projections Pairing: Chargestep, Sidestep days Warnings: Nothing much, just a chat Word Count: ~700 Summary: Riley learns her powers have changed while she has breakfast with Ortega at a restaurant after the Nanosurge.

“You okay?”

Your head hurts. It's nothing new, especially since you saved the city from the Nanosurge. The migraine after that split your skull like an overripe melon has receded, at least. A week at the ranch with Ortega provided minimal aggravation, a chance for your raw mind to scab over. Heal a little. You think you're getting better. You really hope you are. 

“Riley?”

You rub your forehead, trying to lessen the pressure mounting inside. There are eyes all around you, looking, always looking, staring, dissecting, because Ortega draws eyes anywhere he goes. The attention is more intense, too intense for your sensitive mind. You weren’t ready to be in a crowded restaurant again like this, not yet. Ever, if you’re honest with yourself. You never should have let things get this far. Mask off. Hanging out in public. Face seen. Only a matter of time before it ends up on the front page of some gossip rag. You feel their thoughts teaming inside your skull like ants, speculating inanities like always. He would be flattered, but all you can do is sit there and shake.

If only everyone would just stop looking at you. 

“Mierda… what did you…”

The pressure release is almost instant, and you sigh softly with relief, relaxing, until the sudden hand on your shoulder nearly makes you scream. Your eyes snap open to find Ortega leaning over the table just inches in front of you, brown eyes furrowed with concern.

“What did you do?” he asks in a harsh whisper, like he can be covert surrounded by this many people.

“What are you talking about?” you grouse, shoveling a bite of your cooling eggs into your mouth.

He gestures widely with his hands, and your eyes track along with him to find the entire restaurant silent, looking pointedly away from you.

What the… Fuck… 

“It was you, right?” he hazards cautiously, and you shrug in response. His gaze turns shrewd as he tries to piece things together. “What were you just thinking about?”

“That I wanted everyone to stop looking at me…” you admit quietly, eyes flicking around to find that the only one unaffected is Ortega. So it has to be you. It has to be your telepathy. Nothing else would make sense. “But this is impossible, I've never—”

“You did," he interrupts, tapping your forehead softly. “The beach, remember? You made them stop.”

You stare down at your eggs, his scrutiny hitting you in a place you haven't felt in four years. “I… guess…” you mutter eventually. There really is no other explanation. 

You like this quiet around you. No one looking. No one perceiving you. But the strain of the size of the barrier you instinctively threw up is starting to take its toll. You need to dial it back if you want to maintain it. You follow the edges of your field, thankfully not far outside the bounds of the building, and try to shape it like you would your mental shield, a little thought void exactly where you need it and no further.

“You can project now," he says softly, as the bubble you’ve made pulls back to just your table. The restaurant comes back to life around you, but your table is ignored like it’s empty. The waitress that had been getting him a fresh coffee walks right on by, and he doesn't even try to flag her. 

When you look up at him again, the wide wonder in his eyes makes your face feel hot. “It’s not a big deal, stop making it one,” you say plaintively, rubbing your head again.

He scoffs a laugh, refusing to let you off the hook. “It is a big deal, you idiot. Don't you tell me it's not. This is incredible. What else can you do?”

You shrug and tuck back into your food. “I'unno…” you garble around your toast, piled high with too much jelly. Your sugar cravings have definitely gotten worse. Now you know why the increased energy has been needed. Your telepathy has always had a high demand for carbohydrates, and you feel yourself bolstering again as you eat.

What else can you do? You're sure you'll find out, one way or another. The real question is, how much will you keep growing?

[kittlesandbugs]

FHR: What happens when you assume (Read on AO3) Pairing: Chargestep Warnings: Oh no, mostly honest communication Word Count: 1523 Summary: Riley and Ortega discuss Ortega's assumption that she had been Hollow Ground's little sister for all those years.

“Hey, I've been wondering something." There's a tension that creeps into his relaxed recline next to you. You tried to make it a casual statement, not wanting his ever sensitive guard to come up. But really, there's almost nothing casual that can be said right now. Not after all after all the bombshells that have been dropped since you made that ill-fated trip to Parkfield. One of your stupidest moves, for sure.

“Yeah, what's up?” Ortega gives you a slightly arched look as he looks down his shoulder at you, but returns with the same cool affect. 

You chew your lip a little, wondering if it really is a good idea to open this can of worms. But Argent is on duty right now, so it’s just you and him. No reason for him to try and bury the lede. Except maybe to save his own ego. “Why didn't you ever tell me you thought I was Hollow Ground's little sister?"

The widening of his eyes and twist of his mouth says this is not a conversation wants to have. He hates being wrong, you know that far too intimately. And he was so painfully wrong about this one. He grimaces and turns the TV off. “That's… complicated.”

Rolling your eyes at his theft of your usual deflection, you return with a twist on his usual retort. “You make it that way.”

He sighs and slides off the bed, getting up to pace out his rather obvious agitation at this line of questioning. Which is patently unfair because you can't do the same. Asshole. “Look, I dropped hints. Constantly.”

“What hints?” Your eyes narrow as you try to piece together stupid shit he used to do back then, but honestly, your brain isn't running at top capacity after your latest dose of painkillers. It has not been a good day. 

“That I knew—”

“Thought you knew!” you snap, your irritation with his erratic motions getting the better of you. You're the victim of his stupid assumptions here, you really should be the one pacing. 

“Fine, thought I knew…” He gets to the other side of the room and pauses, a thoughtful look creasing his brow as something occurs to him. “...Hm.”

You wait, but your tattooed skin shivers like there's ants crawling inside it as he stares at you like he can see them under your clothes. “... What?” you prompt sharply when you can't take it anymore. 

“I was trying to… Mierda…” he sighs and starts pacing again, and you want to throw something at him to make him stop. “You really had no idea at all. “

“About what?”

“I couldn't figure out how to broach the subject with you when you were so goddamn skittish and cagey about your past. I was trying to give you hints that I knew about your sister… supposed sister…” he corrects himself before you can, “and that I was safe to talk to about her. I thought you were just… stubborn.”

“Stubborn?”

“Yeah. Prideful. You were a kid striking out on your own, fleeing your crime lord family—” 

“You’re an idiot.” You cut him off; this sounds like a fucking stupid movie plot. But it isn't completely divorced from the truth. You had been determined to carve out a life for yourself on your own. And your… early life… hadn't been great. 

He gives you a look of thinning patience, but continues undeterred. “I'm not, though. I know what Hollow Ground looks like. I told you, I had access to the files on—”

“... fuck.” The sibling. Arrest records. Mug shots. 

“Exactly. I’m not an idiot.” He gives you a look that borders on nostalgic, and it makes your hand clench the blanket over your legs. “Back then… You were practically identical to her little sister, down to the shaved head. Just a few years older, like y—she should have been.”

That coincidence hits you like a fist to the gut, and all you can do is suck in a breath. It's worse than you'd thought it had been, and you already wanted to peel your cursed skin off and crawl in a hole. 

He continues, undeterred by your silence, back to pacing as he explains himself for all his weird statements and prodding back then. “I figured you wanted to just forget about ever being her little sister when you refused to bite.”

“That's—”

“Stupid, I know that now." He smiles, a twisted little thing just this side of wry, and shrugs. “I thought you were just a fucked up kid running from a fucked up house. I know what that looks like. Admittedly, a little more extreme in your case, faking your… her… death…” he trails off, then shakes his head. “Look, the point is, I just wanted to help you, and you made that unusually difficult.”

Your brow furrows as you line up the pieces of the puzzle he saw and groan as you drag your hand down your face. “... I can't believe this makes sense.”

“See? I’m not the idiot. You are.” He's smug now, and that's pissing you off. 

“Shut up,” you snap, but you're still distracted reconciling everything. “So, when I refused to be on camera...”

“Hiding, obviously. You didn’t want her to see you in the news.” He has an answer, of course. He’s probably full of them. He wouldn’t have been so certain otherwise.  But you can’t resist poking at this open wound more.

“When I hid from you… “

“It was always after something big. I figured you were just worried about her finding out about us.” He winks shamelessly and you ignore it. 

“And when I wouldn't change around anyone…” Or let him get any further than touching you over your clothes, but you refuse to vocalize that.

“I assumed you had some crazy mob tattoos to hide…” He pauses and gives you that look again that makes you itch under your clothes, but this time his lips quirk. “I guess I was half right on that one.”

That makes you choke and launch a pillow at him. “If my fucking legs weren't broken—”

He easily dodges it and gives you a smirk. “Yeah, yeah. You're laughing.”

“Because I’ll cry otherwise, asshole,” you growl as you wipe your eyes. “This is insane.”

“Tell me about it.” He sighs and finally comes back to the bed, gingerly sitting just out of your range. Jerk. “Look… you being, you know...”

“Say it,” you hiss, not impressed with his poor tact. You want to hear it. He doesn't get to be squeamish about what you are, not after all this shit.

“Fine. You being a Re-Gene. A cuckoo, which, by the way, I had no idea existed,” he groans and pushes his bangs back out of his face. “Look. That was not on my bingo card for why you're such a weird squirrely asshole.”

You huff a laugh, and admit, “Yeah, well, you thinking I was some runaway mobster princess wasn't on mine.”

The silence is more comfortable this time. The air feels a little clearer between you. Or at least, it could have been, until he turns your original question back around on you. 

“What did you think I was doing? Back then.”

You look away, uncertain and a little uneasy under his focused curiosity. “I don't know… being a fucking weirdo.” 

“Hey, I answered you.”

“Fine…” You rub your upper arms subconsciously, your nails blocked by the soft shirt. “At first I couldn't figure out if you were in league with the Farm. Because of the static.” You've already told him about the numbers. About the same time you told him you loved him. You have got to stop trying to have conversations when you're high on painkillers. 

“Mierda, no wonder you were so touchy.”

“Then you had that seizure… so I dropped that when I knew what the static was.”

“And after that…?” he prompts softly, moving a little closer now, looking at you with his stupid brown eyes that make you do stupid things like allow this. 

You sink back into the pillows, feeling tired about… everything, really. “I don’t know… I guess I thought you were just messing with me. Trying different stupid tactics to get me to open up. Because you were an asshole.” But you hadn't been smart enough to bail back then, despite it all. More the idiot, you.

He chuckles at that, because again, you both weren’t entirely wrong but… never on the same wavelength. “So we're both idiots.”

“Yeah…” you admit softly, and let him settle back down beside you. He leans over to kiss you and you let him do that too. But you can’t resist one last barb as he pulls back again. “But at least I didn't think I was starring in some fucked up Shakespeare play.”

If he was a cat, his tail would have poofed up. He looks so offended, you can’t help the cackle. “That is not—” 

“Uh huh.”

He pouts and turns the TV back on, silently declaring an end to the conversation. But you still catch his quiet, “... maybe a little.” 

“Idiot.”

[kittlesandbugs]

FHR Prompt: To dream, perchance to kill (AO3 link here) Pairing: Lil Chargentstep, but that ain't the focus here Contains: Past abuse, sorta murder/suicide, unreality Word Count: ~1250 Summary: Prompt from @camillathe6th for a fantasy murder dream that the character is jolted out of, and how they feel after.

You've been here before.

A sterile office. Expensive expansive wooden desk in the center. A woman seated at the computer. Clean pressed wool suit. Perfectly coiffed hair. Cold eyes behind thin wire glasses. Hard acrylic nails clack-clacking on the keys in a rapid pattern. There’s a pause as she points to the chair off to the side.

Drugged with talodine to come in here, your only clues as to why are from your eyes and ears. So you linger a little too long. 

He grabs your shoulder with bruising strength and pulls you to the chair because you kept staring. Makes you stand beside it and look at the floor while he sits comfortably until she's finished. 

Hurry up and wait like always.  Too young and innocent to know better.

You've been here before.

A sterile office. Expensive expansive wooden desk in the center. The same woman as before, and this time she’s waiting for you, perfect teeth spreading in a bright white crescent moon smile.

They cart you in like livestock. Drugged up again. The hum of portable dampeners bearing down on you like a wet blanket for extra insurance. Bound up like you’re a feral animal, ready to lunge and rip and tear. You'd bitten a few people who weren’t cautious enough after your coma, out of instinct. 

You’ve only actually been conscious less than a few hours. Your guts twist from hunger and dread and horror. You aren't ready for this confrontation. Not ready for her dazzling smile. Her excitement to see you whole. Hers again.

And then they cart you off again, this time a lamb to slaughter for her Project. Too out of it. Too fucked up from having your spine fixed and your guts put back where they belonged to put up a real fight then.

You've been here before.

A sterile office. Expensive expansive wooden desk in the center. The same woman as before, hard acrylic nails clack-clacking on the keys in a rapid pattern. There’s a pause as she points to the chair off to the side.

You aren't drugged. You feel a stillness in your mind, a clarity of purpose.

No one is grabbing you. No one is binding you. No one else is here. 

Just you and her.

When you don't move to the chair, she looks up to see why. Cold eyes narrow for examination. Widen in recognition. Even wider in surprise, and then the fear hits you like a punch straight in your forebrain and down to your groin.

It's invigorating. 

“How did you get in here?” she demands, the fear still there, but controlled now.

You cock your head to the side, like the answer might be forthcoming. It isn’t, so you find yourself asking back, “Does it matter?" 

You always wondered what her brain would be like. If she felt any kind of remorse or regret at all about what she did, behind that mask of perfect teeth and makeup. Or if her spark of humanity was even more fucked than the one they pretended you couldn't have. But as you watch her, you just can’t bring yourself to care what's inside her mind anymore.

She moves. You paralyze the scream in her throat. Stop her hand halfway aiming the gun from the drawer. You hold the power here. Your thoughts. Reality is mutable to a telepath, as the good doctor says. The gun clatters to the desk from her limp hand. 

It's too easy, too practiced, too simple, for you to seize control at this surface level. You could sink in fully if you wanted. Take over everything. Dissect her mind within the plate of her skull. She'd never wake again. Never know what happened to the rest of her once you did. 

But you want her to know.

You want her to know it's you doing this to her. You want her to feel everything. Dread everything. Know everything. After all, everything you are, and everything you can do… It's all because of her. 

Shouldn't she get to experience the wonder that you’ve become? 

So you leave her some control. Mostly autonomics. Eyes, breath, that hammering heart in her chest. But she can't move. Can’t speak. You aren't interested in anything she has to say. 

Were you ever? 

You smile. She pales. 

Her hand reaches for the dropped gun. Sweat beads on her brow. Her heart beats faster. She’s struggling against you, but she may as well be a fawn kicking futilely, neck clamped in the jaws of a tiger. The desperation makes you laugh. She is learning what it feels like. Helplessness. Inevitability. Her fingers wrap around the loaded gun she kept squirreled for self-defense.

Maybe no one ever taught her how often guns kill their owners. 

Her hand shakes as she raises it to her mouth. Her finger embraces the trigger. 

You look into her eyes 

Your own stare back. 

You jolt upright with a gasp, awaking all at once, old instincts all at once crowding your brain, urging you to flee. But your panicked flail just gets you tangled in the blanket draped over you. You fall off the couch onto a hardwood floor in an undignified pile of limbs, fighting back an urge to vomit. 

Hardwood? Not your base, then. Ortega's apartment. 

Fuck. What the fuck—

“You okay?” Ortega asks, appearing above you with a frown as he looks you over, clearly nonplussed by what he finds.

You nod, schooling your breathing back down as you swallow down the bile threatening to come up. “Yeah, just… dreaming. I guess I fell asleep.” 

“Yeah, but you looked like you needed it," he says and extends a hand to you. “Must have been some dream.”

“Uh huh," you mumble and take the offered hand, letting him haul your carcass back up off the floor.  Fuck, why did that have to be just a dream? You flop back down on the couch again with a dissatisfied groan, eyes closed. The details are already fading, but you want to cling to that terror you gave her, even if it was just a fantasy. But the eyes linger in your mind, and that just makes your skin crawl. 

You tense as you feel his fingers on your head unexpectedly, relaxing again when he starts kneading your skull. That feels nice. Real nice. Your soft hum makes him chuckle. 

“Seemed like it was good for a while, you were laughing,” he says conversationally, trying to draw more out of you.  Too curious like always. “Take a turn?”

“Maybe," you mutter, noncommittal, ready to claim you’ve already forgotten if he pushes for more. You’re too wise to his ways to fall for that one. Laughing in your sleep?  Good thing he’s not the mind reader. Your eyes crack open to peer up at him. Apron on, sleeves rolled up. Wasn't like that before your impromptu nap. Time to change the subject. “What's for dinner?"

“Burgers. Real beef ones," he says with a wink, and your stomach grumbles audibly. Weird dreams can’t keep you from burgers. “Angie'll be here in an hour or so. Wanna help me with the veggies?”

“Yeah.” You roll off the couch and follow him into the kitchen, cracking your stiff neck along the way. If nothing else, you can get some of your frustration out by killing some vegetables. Maybe fix yourself before Argent's little friends pick up on your strange mood, and she starts asking questions too. 

[kittlesandbugs]

FHR Prompt: Belly scars Pairing: Chargentstep Contains: Teasing about scars, insecurities Word Count: ~600 Prompt: Focusing on a body part and its details. It gets a bit off track, lol.

You stretch languidly as you sprawl on the couch, stilling as you feel Argent's attention hone in on you like a shark scenting blood. Glancing over, you find her gaze is focused on where your shirt has ridden up, exposing the scarred and tattooed expanse of your abs and belly. 

The smirk on her nebulous silver face is obvious to you as she prowls over, her mind just as delightfully smug. The couch sinks a little as she sidles up next to you, cool slick fingers tracing the jagged scar just above your navel. No claws this time, but you can't stop the shiver. And that just makes her grin openly. 

“Does it hurt?" she teases, the same darkly honeyed tone sending you right back to the sewers where she nearly gutted you. Makes your insides squirm a little. Feels almost like a lifetime ago.

“Tickles a bit," you answer lowly in kind, making let out a peal of laughter as she leans down and presses her lips to the scar.

“What's so funny?” Ortega asks as he walks in with just some shorts on, curly hair still damp from his shower. His own belly is marred with that ugly gash from the Catastrofiend, and a kiss from that thing would certainly not be welcomed. 

The ridiculous thought makes you dissolve into your own little fit of mirth. You feel Argent's focus on you sharpen despite the humor, her eyes meeting yours intently. Admitting to anything about this is opening a can of worms you aren't anywhere near the mood to deal with. And if you're reading her right, she isn't either.

“Just reminiscing," you say opaquely, poking him in that same scar when he sits down next to you. “You're lucky to be alive.”

“I always have been very lucky," he says with a wink, brown eyes following Argent's trailing finger on your belly. “Looks like you are too. What's that one from?” he asks, curiosity sharpening to a point you rally need to deflect. You never took that bad a hit there as Sidestep.

“You both just like to bite off more than you can chew,” Argent snorts before you can think of an answer and pulls her hand back, a ripple of trepidation and… shyness? Something, the normally placid surface of her thoughts churning. Hard to tell about what without diving in. She pushes down deeper as she curls up against your side like a cat and changes the subject. “Isn't it your turn to pick the movie, Ricardo?"

“Yeah, Ric, it's your turn," you echo as he scoffs and goes to the shelf, giving you both a moment of reprieve to regroup. 

She stares at the blank TV screen, head pillowed on your thigh. Her mind and body both feel tense despite what should be a relaxed posture. She eases slightly when your fingertips tentatively start to knead her scalp, and you take that as a sign to continue.  Is she worried you’ll spill your little secret?  Or is there something else going on in that dangerous head of hers?

Ortega settles back down beside you, disrupting your thoughts.  His arm drapes around your shoulders to pull you in against him, and you let yourself be nestled in the comfortable and familiar crook of his shoulder. His other hand grabs the remote, and while he's fiddling with that, you glance down at Argent again. The TV lights up, sending a cascaded reflection of light off her skin.  

And then you wonder… Has someone or something ever tried to gut her? You'd never know it, not with her perfect silver skin.